


tiger by the tail

by jasminetea



Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides, Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Sentinel/Guide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 07:00:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15383241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jasminetea/pseuds/jasminetea
Summary: Q was more than happy to leave behind the Sentinel-Guide Tower for MI6. But the tiger that's been following him is a reminder some things are inevitable no matter where you go.Scenes from an unfinished AU.





	tiger by the tail

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [the world isn’t watching us (break down)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/595688) by [lincesque](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lincesque/pseuds/lincesque). 



> I wrote this a long time ago after reading lincesque's wonderful fic. Although mine was going to be on the fluffy end, haha. Had this fic continued, there would've also been M/Silva.

Q finds a tiger in his living room when he returns home.

It doesn’t occur to him that it’s a guide animal.  Q gladly set aside that part of his life and himself when he joined MI6.  M hadn’t even needed to lure him with all the tech and machineries that would be his; it was enough to escape the Sentinel-Guide Tower’s constant surveillance. 

His first thought is that the tiger is some kind of after image from staring at the computer screen too long: a jumble of dark lines that his mind is organizing into a recognizable shape that happens to be a tiger.  He ignores the tiger lying beneath his coffee table and goes into the kitchen to fix himself a cuppa.

As he waits for the water to heat, he leans his back against the counter and looks out.  The tiger is gone, thank goodness.  He sighs and pushes his glasses up.  When he opens his eyes, the tiger is padding its way into his kitchen and no.

Just no.  He leans down and grabs its ruff, and is rewarded with what would be a terrifying hiss and scrunching up of its face if it were a real tiger.

“Out!” he says.  He pushes his shin against its flank, fur giving way to hard muscle that would not be moved.

It has the nerve to chuff at him.  Q tries to get out of its way, but the thing is winding its way around his legs like an oversized house cat, corralling him towards his bed.

“You just can’t leave the water heater on like that!”

The tiger buts its head against his hip, and Q topples onto his bed, sheets still as rumpled and unmade as he left them three days ago.  He tries to get out to shut the water off, but the tiger pushes him back in.

“Fine, have it your way."  He closes his eyes, hoping the damn thing will be gone when he opens them, but there’s suddenly a heavy weight dropped onto his bed.  Q opens turns his head to see what the hell it is, and stares into the cat’s yellow eyes.

It blinks at him, entirely unfazed.  Q is slightly embarrassed to be the first one to look away, but it is a tiger after all.  He keeps closing and opening his eyes hoping the thing will be gone until he falls asleep, its tail curled against his knees.

* * *

 

The tiger appears again, this time in the park.

Q takes a second glance as he passes it.  A tiger, in the park?  He blinks the water out his eyes, but the raindrops still drip from his hair and onto his glasses.  He shuffles his groceries about in his arms.

There’s no good reason for him to be seeing tigers, none at all, no lack of caffeine, no international crisis and no James Bond destroying all his weapons without a care in the world.

The tiger, also water-logged, but enjoying the rain none the less, looks down its nose at him.  It hops off its rocky perch and butts against his leg, almost knocking his groceries free.

“No,” Q says firmly.  The tiger just shakes out its wet fur on him.  “Get along back to your sentinel, guide, person. Go.  Shoo."  He nudges it with his knee, but the beast doesn’t budge.

It follows him to his doorstep and then trots away into the rain.


End file.
